We’ve brewed before. Sure it turned out tasting like shit, but we did it. The beer was sweet, almost flat, and it smelled a bit funky. But it had alcohol and getting drunk on it wasn’t a problem. We may or may not have also tried our hands at distilling...

Jingle Bells. You hear it everywhere during the Christmas season. Kids sing it, adults sing it, dogs even sing it. Turn on a radio station close to Christmas and there’s a good chance some famous and normally respectable pop singer is belting out the lines.
Yessir it’s Christmas because Jingle Bells...

In March of this year CNN Money, using a fund manager named Rickesh Kishnani as a primary source for information, declared that the world is "running low on old single malt Scotch." The declaration was picked up by news outlets around the world and within weeks it was gospel: there...

National Margarita day is upon us once again!! And while it may not be as celebrated as holidays like St. Patrick's day or even Valentines day, it is still a day to be celebrated. So where exactly did this timeless classic come from? The truth is, no one really knows....

Few historic bars in the United States have the pedigree of Seattle, Washington’s oldest bar, Merchant’s Café. While a lot of bars in the U.S. may be old, and many others have a pretty sordid past, it’s not always easy to find them in the same place. So you can...

When it comes to your health you should never mess around. They felt that way back in the early 1900s, too, especially when it came to their booze! Here's a collection of great vintage ads that sold whiskey on the basis of it being healthy. Now is it true? Well...

Juarez, Mexico was pretty raunchy. When I began going at 17 or 18, the main strip (Juarez Avenue) was made up of bar after bar; it was a 5 lane, one-way street lined on both sides with flashing neon signs and rhythmic beating from speakers pointed out to the street.
Then...

You really have to search to find the oldest bar on the Las Vegas Strip. The oldest bar in Las Vegas is different, that’s Atomic Liquors down on Fremont Street, but the Strip presents a problem.
You see the Strip changes almost daily. Buildings are built and then knocked down, sometimes...

I first went to a bar in Juarez, Mexico when I was 17 years old. Every Thursday night the bar and nightclubs that lined Juarez Avenue (called “the strip”) would host what they called, Drink and Drown nights. For less than $5 you could enter, dance and drink all you...

Los Angeles is a bastion of the new cocktail movement. Just about every place in the area to get a drink is trendy with glowing lights and very expensive (but typically delicious) cocktails. But hidden in the concrete jungle are some genuine throwbacks – places that have seen the cities...

President's Day was established in 1885 to celebrate the birth of the USA's first President, George Washington.
It makes sense considering Washington's many accomplishments, all of which make him one of the most important figures in our country's history.
But Derek and I like to focus on some of his other accomplishments,...

October 27th is National American Beer Day, THE day to appreciate beer made right here in the good ol' US of A. And while now is a wonderful time to be a beer drinker in America thanks to the craft beer boom, our history as a beer making and drinking...

You walk into the place and somehow just feel at home. It's a dive bar for sure -- stickers cover the wall behind the beer taps and bric-a-brac is everywhere -- but for some reason you can easily spend an entire day here.The Waterfront Bar and Grill in San Diego...

There was a day not so long ago (okay, maybe 100 years ago or so) when it wasn't taboo to give kids some beer. It was good for them, all nutritious and stuff.
Now, we're not into giving our kids beer (our wives keep a close eye on us), but it...

National Rum Day is upon us and what a great spirit to celebrate!! Not only is it one of the most, if not the most, widely used spirits in cocktails, it also has a fascinating history.
It all started in 17th century Barbados, though some argue it was actually in Brazil,...

Gin's journey through history is an interesting one. Gin was not created in England as most believe--though few drinks scream English or England more than the Gin and Tonic. It was created in Holland (dating as far back as the 13th century) as a medicinal to treat stomach issues, gout,...

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Let’s face it; dive bars are probably one of society’s accidentally-created best things ever. In reality, they’re simply neighborhood places that serve cheap drinks and have no-nonsense attitudes. These are the places that pretty much say, “don’t F*** with anyone here and everything’s fine.”
Their drinks are simple, you can...

It’s not much to look at. The structure actually leans a bit and most people would probably wonder if it was in danger of collapsing. The tin-metal roof is rusted and curling at the corners. The wreath on the front door is worn and dull.
But take a breath, steel your...

The Old West is on its last breath. Let’s face it, the neither the western nor the cowboy are really in style of late. True there was a time when John Wayne ruled the big screen and Gunsmoke ruled television, but those days have been over for a long time.
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As summer approaches people’s thoughts turn naturally towards a well-deserved vacation. After such a rough winter, many will flock to various tropical locations around the world to enjoy some sunshine, fruity cocktails and warm ocean currents.
For those that can’t get away, however, another alternative is to find a suitable stand-in....

Few drinks have come to symbolize a particular day like the Margarita on Cinco de Mayo. In truth the two have very little to do with each other. The day represents a victory by Mexican troops in an obscure battle with French troops in the 1800s.
The drink, on the other...

This is the history of the oldest cocktail in history - or I guess the first cocktail in history according to who you talk to - the El Draque. And, as a way of CYA this is as far as we know, if we're wrong tell us in the comments!
The...

Green beer has become a staple of the increasingly popular St. Patrick's Day celebrations the world over. Just about any bar you walk into on Monday, March 17th will be serving the festive favorite. But where did the tradition come from, who invented it and how do you make it...

St. Patrick's Day is upon us and with it comes a seemingly never-ending supply of Irish themed drinks--Irish Car Bombs, green beer, shots of Jameson--green outfits and stumbling party goers. This made us wonder--why do we make our drinks green on St. Patrick's Day? Is it simply because of the...

The Crescent City is awash with great bars, saloons and dives to visit, but we've compiled a list of what we think are the oldest. There are a couple of "maybe's" here but it depends on how you define bars. For example, Antoine's is not here though Arnaud's and Tujague's...

“Night time would find me at Rosa’s Cantina…”
This wonderfully metered line comes from the Marty Robbins’ classic Country-Western song, El Paso. The song, about a love struck cowboy who guns down another in a jealous rage, quickly carried Robbins from talented singer to superstar almost overnight. In 1959, the year...

What was the first bar in America? That’s a tough one because so many records weren’t kept or were lost over time. However, there are a few things we do know.
We know that there was a brewery set up at the Jamestown Settlement in 1609 and that it was likely...

Okay, you've asked us, now we're letting you know. According to our research these are the five oldest bars in the world.
Before we begin though, let's start with a caveat: this is as far as we know! There may be some bar nobody has found somewhere tucked away in Greece...

Schaller’s Pump, 1881-This bar in Chicago’s Bridgeport area has been serving straight since 1881, including during prohibition. In fact, during probibition you had to be screened through a peephole in the wall. Also during prohibition that place got the “Pump” part of its name when the next door brewery would...

Some of the most historic or significant events in our country’s history took place in a bar. Hard to believe, I know, but just read on about all of the famous episodes that happened over a brew in a local watering hole.
10. George Washington Says Farewell to His Officers, Fraunces...

While exploring the bars of America for our book, Bucket List Bars, we certainly saw our fair share of beautiful counters to belly up to. Though all of them are worth drinking at, some had a little extra something worth highlighting.
So below find 10 of the bars we especially enjoyed...

We’re always asked, “what is the oldest bar in America?”
Those that are into bars might remark that it’s one of a handful around the country, like the Bell in Hand in Boston, or Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop in New Orleans. Both are wrong: the building housing Lafitte’s is from 1761, but...

Beginning mid-2011 and ending mid-2012 we took a pretty extensive road trip to find the oldest bars in the nation. During our journey we had a number of libations that stuck with us, that were noteworthy and worth recording, and that made us want to stumble back to the bar...

Rum Punch: An Ancient Drink Fit For A Country's Birthday
With the 4th of July just around the corner many are already planning their backyard festivities--probably composed of something on the grill and a variety of alcohol. After all, what's more American than a burger and a Bud on the lawn,...

Ask just about anyone what Chartreuse is and they’ll tell you it is a color, a shade of green as a matter of fact. Few people know that Chartreuse is actually a spirit created by monks high in the French Alps which has a history over 400 years in the making.

As we come into the full swing of the Christmas and Hanukkah season we are reminded of and partake in some of our most cherished traditions. From decorating the Christmas tree to decorating the house, the lighting of the menorah, spinning the dradle and holiday gatherings spent with friends and...

It was announced last week that the Lenox Lounge is closing.
The Lenox Lounge is a jazz bar in Harlem, New York that was originally opened in 1939.
The place played host to such rising acts as Billie Holliday, Miles Davis and John Coltrain. It was also a favorite hangout spot for...

Have you ever heard of the Crypt of Civilization? Neither had I until just recently. But if you’re a history AND beer buff, it has a great story.
The Crypt—essentially a large time capsule filled with a “record of civilization” was built at Oglethorp University in Atlanta Georgia and sealed in...

Some historic bar signs have surpassed simply noting the existence of a good watering hole, and have entered the realm of pure art! These are the signs that have been around for years and by which others are measured and compared. These are copied by cheap imitators who attempt to...

The saloon is synonomous with the old west. You can't have one without the other. How would history have been different if John Wayne had bellied up to the bar in an English pub (of course he did in The Quiet Mad, but that's another matter).
But what are the best...